the loneliest man in the universe
by DiceAndBishop
Summary: company is hard to keep


OKAY SO.

First of all, this is my first ever fan fiction, so please be nice.

Second, I wrote this in about fifteen minutes, so it's obviously not going to be very good or well-planned.

Third, yes, I know that you can't simply run from weeping angels, but pretend in this case that you can.

_[The five times the Doctor was loneliest, in chronological order.]_

**1.**

The day Gallifrey fell wasn't the first time he'd felt alone, and it certainly wasn't the last.

Leaving his home was hard enough, escaping by himself was harder. But he was afraid, so afraid of himself and afraid of the death he was sure to face if he stayed, that he disregarded the guilt.

He ran, stealing the box, the beautiful blue box, which he'd always admired but never held. He left just in time, leaving behind all he knew and all he loved and all he would regret never saving.

To say that the first few days were difficult would be an understatement. The TARDIS kept malfunctioning, being an old, stubborn thing, but he was able to fix her up as best he could. She was his best friend now, his only friend, the only thing from home he had to dull the pain.

She would have to do.

**2.**

He traveled to Earth a few days later. He picked up his first companion, an orphaned, sickly boy who called himself Peter. Peter had no family, just like the Doctor, so the two became a family of their own.

The Doctor showed him every wonder of the universe, as they traveled through time and space alike, sharing a great many adventures, but as Peter turned 11, his health began to decline. Despite his poor condition, he begged his adopted father not to return him to Earth, to continue on with their adventures until his death.

He loved the Time Lord, and the Time Lord loved him, so the alien complied.

**3.**

It took him a while to return to Earth, but he did eventually.

It was the year 1903, and he watched with quiet amusement as the Wright brother took their dream to the sky.

He skipped back and forth then, between time on Earth. He was fascinated by the creatures who inhabited it, who were still so young and primitive, yet to war with planets not their own, yet even to destroy themselves.

He never once became close to a human, during this time. He made friends, sure, but never did he allow them into his TARDIS.

He didn't want any more blood on his hands.

**4.**

He finally left Earth, and traveled to all the planets he could, even the ones he'd visited with Peter. He knew that the boy would want him to move on, and so move on he did. He even married, let the woman and their eventual child travel with him, but when she grew old, he dropped the two back home, wanting them to spend the rest of their days in a familiar place.

They were hardly okay with the arrangement, but the Doctor knew he had to move on, knew that if he stayed he would get restless.

He kissed his wife and his daughter goodbye and wept as the TARDIS phased away.

**5.**

His lowest point arrived soon after, and he realized he needed someone - anyone - to fill the gap. So he went back to Earth and met a new companion, and a new companion after that one, and soon a cycle was born: Every time he would get too lonely, lonely enough to be a threat to himself, he would pick up someone new.

He always ended up loving them, as friends or, on occasion, even more than that. They would always leave, though, whether by choice or by force, and his heart would break each time, never quite mending.

The worst break came with the Ponds.

Oh, the Ponds.

He was never one to pick favorites, all of his friends were equal in his eyes, but the Ponds were special. He had known Amy since she was a child, had always felt a special connection to her; she was, decidedly, his best friend.

Rory and Amy were both the best of friends, always were. They loved each other, just as they loved the raggedy old Doctor, but in a much deeper way.

They were just visiting Tultera (a magnificent, peaceful moon, located not very far from where Gallifrey used to be) to celebrate their first anniversary, when the Doctor realized that the statues that lined the palaces were not, in fact,merely stone.

The TARDIS had miscalculated.

They weren't on Tultera after all.

They ran to the TARDIS, fast as they could, but they weren't fast enough. There were too many angels, and Rory broke his ankle tripping over a stone.

He barely had time to scream.

Amy and the Doctor kept running, the former weeping and the latter just barely able to hold on to the struggling woman.

"We have to go back!" she yelled, fist after fist plummeting to the Doctor's chest.

"No! It's too late, Amelia. I'm so sorry."

Amy stopped, suddenly devoid of emotion. "No, this is wrong. I'm not leaving him, not this time." She pushed him away. "Run, Doctor! Run, please. I can't... I have to help him..."

The Doctor stayed, pleading with her to just think, to stay with him.

"No. Doctor, please. If you love me, go. I can't lose you too. Go. Go! Run!"

The Doctor ran.


End file.
